Dec. 22, 2016

BlockTrumpsCabinet.com groups: If Democrats stand with widespread grassroots opposition to Trump’s cabinet picks, only a few principled Republican votes needed to block many of Trump’s unacceptable nominees

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As of today, grassroots members of more than 20 leading progressive groups sent more than 442,000 petition signatures to the U.S. Senate through BlockTrumpsCabinet.com to demand senators use their confirmation powers to block Donald Trump’s “cabinet of hate and Wall Street greed.”

In addition to the petition signatures, more than 24,000 phone calls have been made to the Senate. In particular, activists from across the country have made thousands of phone calls to each of the offices of Chuck Schumer, Dick Durbin, Patty Murray and Chris Van Hollen, key incoming Senate Democratic leadership who will be responsible for keeping Senate Democrats strong and united against any Trump nominee espousing hateful ideology or corporate cronyism.

Coalition organizations range from progressive stalwarts like Presente Action, Demand Progress, Daily Kos, the Working Families Party, and Democracy for America to prominent organizations like CWA (Communications Workers of America) and League of Conservation Voters to groups representing communities threatened by the hateful ideology of many Trump’s picks, like UltraViolet, and MPower.

“Donald Trump’s first appointments to cabinet-level roles in his administration are horrifying. Trump’s nominees and rumored picks have promoted white nationalism, attacked climate science, and used their power as Wall Street insiders and corporate lobbyists to fleece working families.

“As representatives of all Americans, you must stand up against hatred and greed. Fight to block and resist every Trump nominee who embraces racism, xenophobia, misogyny, homophobia, climate denial, and Wall Street greed.”

In contrast to his promises to be “a president for all Americans” and “drain the swamp” in Washington, Trump’s cabinet nominations demonstrate he is welcoming hate right into the White House and are so pro-corporate, Politico calls his administration “an investment banker’s dream.”

The full list of organizations participating in the effort includes 350.org, American Family Voices, Catholics in Alliance, Courage Campaign, Center for Popular Democracy Action, Communications Workers of America, Daily Kos, Demand Progress, Democracy for America, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, HedgeClippers, League of Conservation Voters, MPower, New York Communities for Change, Other 98% Action, People’s Action, People for the American Way, Presente Action, Public Citizen, RootsAction, Rootstrikers, SumOfUs, The Nation, UltraViolet, and the Working Families Party.

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Presente.org is the nation’s largest online Latinx organizing group; advancing social justice with technology, media, and culture.